Blue Gill Quality Food — Restaurant in Gainesville

Blue Gill is owned by the same individuals that own one of my favorite spots in town, Mildred's Big City Food. So there is a lot of expectation when I visit Blue Gill. I have been twice and now have some thoughts.

The restaurant itself has a great atmosphere and the staff have been exceptional each time we've visited. However I have some points regarding the food. I will caveat this by saying all the food we've tried has been excellent. It always comes out hot and all has been delicious. Their menu has standard fare such as sandwiches and burgers, but also plates that you may be familiar with, but with unexpected twists that work incredibly well, such as the fried green tomatoes that are paired with a deviled egg puree. Their cocktail menu is inventive and each one I've tried have been great experiences. My issue isn't with the quality of the food, but the value proposition of them.

There is dishes that have great value and others not so much. The burger, the buffalo chicken sandwich, and the fish sandwich are at a price point I would expect, and all three are highly recommended (especially the burger). I also feel that all of the appetizers are worth every penny, especially the fried oysters (which they desperately need to offer a po' boy on a menu with those). However, the lobster roll is absolutely tiny. At $28, one could easily get more value from Monsta Lobsta or Cousin's Maine Lobster at that price point for a lobster roll. The pork rind fried chicken, the pieces are tiny, which is fine, but at $26 per plate, that seems unreasonably expensive for what is offered. The coconut cake, which is the same one you can get at Mildred's, is always delicious, but at Mildred's you get an actual full slice of that cake, but here, it was the size of a brownie. At $8, that seemed expensive for what you get. Despite these complaints, the food is still excellent, but I just question the value of these dishes.

If you're fine with these prices, the food will not disappoint, but generally, stick to the appetizers (on the menu as snacks and small plates), the handhelds (outside of the lobster roll) and the "for the table" menu items, if you're looking to maximize the value of...

One of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. We started with the crispy cauliflower that was perhaps a bad choice on my part. In retrospect, cauliflower with butter, peanuts and raisins sounds horrendous and truly it was- the cauliflower was crispy to the point where it was super dry and plated in a pool of butter . It was only edible once I asked for a side of ranch. Next, the steak salad- the steak had no flavor and although it should be served with blue cheese crumbles, mine did not include it. The waitress had to bring me a side of crumbles, as they'd forgotten to include. The house salad was ordered with chicken. We did not expect to be served cold chicken. I'm baffled why any restaurant would serve a grilled chicken house salad with cold chicken. The effort is lacking and I'd have been better off with the grab and go pre packaged salads they sell at super markets if I really wanted cold chicken. In addition, i did not enjoy picking through some pieces of wilted lettuce.The fish sandwich was overly fried and dry and I did not care for the house chips (they had too sweet a taste and went heavy on the sugar for my taste ). Finally, the roasted chicken was the only OK dish. This one seemed too have a bit of actual seasoning and flavor. It is served with veggies that were fine and mac and cheese (lacked flavor, but can be tolerated -think Kraft). All in all, I'd say eat here if the only standard you have is "edible" . I cannot comment on the drink selection. The service was ok. It could be improved. For instance, halfway into my entree, i realized they had about 6 specials that night, none of which the waitress had bothered to tell us about. My recommendation is avoid what was a severely underwhelming dining...

I recently visited Blue Gill in Gainesville and overall had a really nice experience. I started with the buffalo cauliflower appetizer, and let me just say , wow. Easily one of the best I've had. Though I wish it was more crispy, it was just the right amount of heat, and super flavorful. That was definitely a highlight for me.

For my main, I tried the steak special of the day, which came with a corn salad and pasta salad. My friend had a salmon dish with risotto and (I think) green beans. We both agreed that while the quality of everything was solid, some of the side pairings felt a bit mismatched. Maybe it's just my palate, but I wouldn't typically think to put those particular items together. It didn't quite flow the way you'd expect from a well-composed plate.

The food, in general, could've used a little more seasoning, not bad, just lacking that final punch of flavor that really elevates a dish. That said, everything was cooked well and beautifully presented. My steak was a perfect medium, and honestly, that and the cauliflower were my favorite parts of the meal.

I do wish I had gone for one of the burgers or fish tacos, they looked and sounded amazing. I was left wanting just a bit more overall, but the quality is there, and I'd love to come back and explore more of the menu, especially the appetizers.

I tried the coconut cream cake but sadly it did not taste like it. It tasted like fish and I think they had the cake next to it or close to it because it was infused in that taste. I was so looking forward to trying it but sadly was disappointed.

Our server was enthusiastic about the menu and was great with giving recommendations. Truly energetic and attentive throughout the whole night. So props to them having an amazing...